It has long been known that one technique for holding a screen material in a frame is to provide a narrow channel in the frame and bend the screen to fit within the channel. Thereafter, a pliable spline material, such as rubber, is inserted into the channel holding the bent screen wire for releasably affixing the screen to the frame.
In the past, portable hand tools have been developed to assist a workman in affixing a screen material to the screen frame. Examples of such tools are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 739,342 and 739,343, both in the name of Peregrine and U.S. Pat. No. 4,241,487 in the name of Kraver. Other machines, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,907 in the name of Gottlieb, have been developed for installing screen in a frame in an automated fabrication line, but such machines are of little use to a workman installing a screen while in the field such as a customer's home, for example.
Two major problems exist with the prior art. The first problem, typical of the portable tools, such as shown in the two Peregrine or the Kraver patents, is that several simultaneous steps are required of the workman in order to install the screen. First, one side of the prior art portable tool is used to bend the screen into the channel of the frame. After this has been completed, the workman holds the screen in the frame channel with one hand, while positioning a length of pliable spline into the frame channel with the other hand and using the opposite end of the tool to insert the spline. This can be a difficult process for someone of limited experience. The second problem is that a machine which installs the screen in a single step involves bulky and complex apparatus, such as shown in the Gottlieb patent, and is not easily adaptable to be taken into the field by a workman needing to repair or replace existing screen on, for example, a conventional household window or door screen.
It would be desirable to develop a portable apparatus that can be easily carried by a workman and can install a screen in a frame in a single pass.